Card-index.



PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

G. A. BAKER.

CARD INDEX.

APPLICATION FILED mums, 1905.

nmzu/ 222 242526 Zi'fizaases gz zwl/M GEORGE A. BAKER, OF SOUTH BEND,INDIANA.

CARD-INDEX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1908.

Application filed June 26, 1905. Serial No. 267.041.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. BAKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State ofIndiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Card-Indexes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to card indexes and has special reference to thetabs or labels for the cards.

One of the objects of the present invention is to providea tab that maybe detached or moved to any point along the card.

Another object is to provide an improved means for fastening the tab tothe card.

-A still further object is to provide a novel means of attaching thefastening device to the tab or label so as to prevent separation and dislacement thereof.

A stilIfurther object is to construct the tab so that it may serve as asuspension device.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and operative aggrou )ment of the parts, allas will be more fully described hereinafter, illustrated in theaccompanying drawing and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing :F igure 1 is a front elevation of an index card with myimproved tabs I thereon. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of an index cardwith the tabs thereon. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line w-a7of Fig; 1 showing the tab in longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a similarview on the line y-y of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 2-zof Fig. 1. Fi 6 is a perspective view of the fastening chpfor the tabs.Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one form of tab. Fig. 8 is a perspectiveView of another form of tab as it appears before it is folded into theform shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view ofanother form of tab.

In carrying out the invention the tabs 5 may be of any shape and may bemade of any suitable stiff material such as pasteboard, leather,celluloid or the like upon which may be written or printed any indexcharacter. The tabs are preferably cut away at their lower corners, asat 6, so as to prevent the edges from curling outwardly and consumingspace in the file-drawer. The tab is per forated preferably in twoplaces, as at 7 and 8.

The generic features of the present invention consist in the means forattaching the fastening device or clip to the tab and in this respect itis to be noted that the-clip in each form extends through theperforations7 and 8 of the tab in such a manner as to position one partof the clip upon one side of the tab and the other part of the clip uponthe other side, or between the layers of material of which the tab isformed.

The clip used preferably consists of a resilient piece of wire bent toform a loop or V shape clasping member 9, at the upper end of which andupon each side thereof the wire is bent inwardly and downwardly, as at10, crossing the loop portion and terminating in extensions 11 thatpreferably project beyond the lower end of the loop. For the purpose ofclearness we will designate these projecting ends as clamping arms. Asis well known, these clips, when bent in this shape, serve as paperfasteners and have a tendency to spring together so as to grasp a thinsheet between the loop portion and the arms; The arms are alsopreferably disposed at an angle to each other, that is, they divergefrom the upper or bent portion 10. By virtue of this divergence of theclamping arms the latter are prevented from being accidentally withdrawnfrom the perforations or apertures in'the tab in as much as the saidperforations are spaced apart a distance equal to the distance betweenthe clamping arms at their upper ends, and of course, this distanceisconsiderably less than the distance between the arms at their lowerends. Thus the clips may be inserted in the apertures by springing theends of the arms together and when once inserted they can not slideupwardly since the arms spread a art by virtue of their resiliency andthe clip cannot slip downwardly because of the outward bend of the armsat the upper end of the loop. It is therefore ap arent that the clip issecurely attached to t 10 tab.

The tab may be fastened to the card by inserting the edge of the'cardbetween the loop ll of the clip and the front face of the tab, or byinserting the card between the rear face of the tab and the clampingarms of the clip. The former means of the-attachment is, however,preferable, in as much as certain characters may be placed along the uper edge of the card and be visible througff the loop of the clip whichthus serves as an indicator when the tab is adjusted at different pointsalong the edge of the card and of course the tab with the clip is easilyremoved from the card.

In the form shown in Figs. 3 and 7 the tab sim ly consists of a singlelayer of material wit the loop of the clip upon one side thereof and thearms upon the other side.

The form shown in Figs. 4 and 8 consists of a sin le piece of materialdoubled upon itself wi l having two folds at an intermediate point, asat 12 and 13. In Fig. 8 the tab 1s shown with one of said intermediatefolds viz. 13 reinforced by a late 14 that envelops the edge of the f0 d13' and then when theends of the tabs are brought together the fold 13with the reinforcing plate is forced up into the fold 12, as shown inFig. 4, forming a hooked up er end with the reinforcing or stiffening pate located between the layers of'material of which the tab is composed.This hooked upper end 15 (Fig. 4) serves as a suspending means for v alabel or card. In the form shown in Figs.

5 and 9 the tab is made from a single piece of material doubled uponitself with the line of fold at the top of the tab and with the clamp-.ing arms 1 1 of the cli embedded between the layers ofmaterial, t oughthey may pene- In this form the two layers arepreferably cemented orother wise secured together and provided with an open- 1n vi e. These.tabs in addition to serving as tab without de 16 which also serves as asuspension dea label for a card index or for any other article, may beused as a book mark by bookkeepers or accountants and many changes maybe made-in the shape and style of the arting from the spirit of myinvention whic includes the means for attachin the clip to the tab andfor attaching the ta to the card. 1

Having thus described my invention what I claim and .desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s:

1. The combination of a tab having perforations, a wire clip extendinthrough the perforations and having its 0 asping memers disposed u onopposite sides and arranged arallel t roughout their lengths with thesai opposite sides of the tab and diverging from the perforations,whereby the clip is prevented from sliding in the perforations.

2. A tab or label comprising a piece of stiff material provided at oneend with means for suspending it, and a wire cli piercing said tab andinterlocked therewith and serving as a clasping member to fasten the tabto anobject. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of twosubscribing witnesses GEORGE A. BAKER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE OLrscH, G. M. COLE.

